Rain (La pluie), 1889

About the Artwork

Vincent van Gogh voluntarily entered the clinic of Saint-Paul-de-Mausolée in southern France on May 8, 1889. The sanatorium sits just over the mountains from Arles, where Vincent had spent the previous winter producing some of his more energetic and moving canvases. It was also where he had suffered his most severe mental breakdowns, which eventually prompted his hospitalization. From his workroom at the clinic Van Gogh looked down on an enclosed field of wheat. During his eleven-month stay he drew or painted this view some twelve times. This picture of the wheat field during a rainstorm is the only work of its kind he did in the South, and while the idea of representing rainfall by diagonal slashes of paint clearly relates to Van Gogh's interest in Japanese prints, the final effect is completely personal and well beyond any borrowed source. There is truly nothing quite like it in his considerable output--truly nothing so gently and objectively observed, nothing so completely revealing his own state of mind. Joseph J. Rishel, from Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections (1995), p. 203

Related Images

Katsushika HokusaiPoem by Dainagon Tsunenobu, c. 1839

Eugène BoudinDeauville, Flag-Decked Ships in the Inner Harbor, 1896

Henry Ossawa TannerThe Annunciation, 1898

Margaretta Angelica PealeMelon, Cherries and Plums, 1836

William HarnettStill Life--Five-Dollar Bill, 1877

John James AudubonHouse Wren

Alfred SisleyBridge at Moret-sur-Loing,1891

Thomas EakinsPortrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic), 1875

Gustave CourbetRocky Coast, 19th century

Camille CorotWall, Côtes-du-Nord, Brittany, c. 1855

Camille PissarroL'Île Lacroix, Rouen (The Effect of Fog), 1888

Claude MonetMarine near Etretat, 1882

About Our Products

Quality

This Art on Demand Store is your exclusive source for reproductions authorized and available for purchase directly from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. All items that are offered are produced using gallery quality materials and the color is managed in a manner that produces a reproduction as true to the original as technology will allow.

Selection

Many of the works offered through this store are exclusive and not available anywhere else. In addition, new works are continually added to the offering so make sure to come back and see the new releases.

Customization

You have found the work that speaks to you. Now what? Using our innovative custom framing tool you can preview exactly what your finished and framed art will look like. We offer many different moulding styles so there is sure to be a match for any type of decor.

Member Discounts

As always, members will receive their discount for all transactions processed through our Art on Demand Store. Simply enter your member id during the checkout process and your discount will be applied.